Collaborate 09 - Wednesday

I wasn't able to write an update yesterday, but not because there wasn't anything to write about. On the contrary, I was so busy that I didn't have an opportunity to sit down long enough to write. The week has been very productive so far and will continue to be. Of course, everyone is looking forward to the party tonight and Universal Studios Islands of Adventure.

A few things that I didn't cover last time. Sunday evening we had the IOUG SIG Welcome Reception. This was very well attended and was a great opportunity to meet some new people and reconnect with people I haven't seen in a year. The Special Interest Groups each had a table and many people were interested in what the SIGs are doing. I was talking to many people about the Linux SIG and we should get some new blood into the group. Many thanks to SAP for sponsoring this event. We are always looking for vendors and friends that are willing to sponsor these events for us and SAP always seems to come through.

As one of the new IOUG Board of Directors members this year, I had my orientation yesterday to learn some more about my new responsibilities. I'm looking forward to the challenges and exciting times over the next two years of my term. My role on the Board will be Director of RUGs and SIGs. Joining these two groups under one Director makes a lot of sense. We should be able to jointly advertise for both groups as well as draw on each other's experiences and resources. Between the RUG Leader meeting yesterday and the SIG Council meeting this morning, I can already tell there is a lot of energy and great ideas from both communities.

The technical content this year is as good or better than it ever has been. All the new features of products and the new stuff people are doing with old things have been very interesting. Of course I have also been immersed in SIG meetings and Board of Directors meetings. I'm now in the last session of the day and learning about recovery scripts. An important topic, no doubt. It is very hard to believe that tomorrow is the last day already. I'm looking forward to a great time tonight with new and old friends. My presentation is finally tomorrow at 11:00. I'll be talking about the PeopleSoft Management Pack for Grid Control. I'm the very last session of the conference so I have a few giveaways to try to lure people in. Actually, I'm hoping that will get me some good reviews on my surveys!

See you on the roller coasters!